Twilight came and left the sallow light of the city reflected in the underbelly of the overcast clouds. The beacons of the airport across the harbor burned smoldering red as planes flitted off into the gloom like metallic insects.
Rousing myself, I popped a frozen taco in the microwave. As I poured myself a glass of water, a voice behind me said, "Make that two."
I nearly dropped the glass as I spun around to find Stinkwort and Tansy hovering in the living room. "We've got to figure out a way for you to knock," I said.
Tansy gasped with delight and flew past me to the microwave. Placing both her hands on the window, she watched avidly as the taco revolved.
"Why? It's not like I'm going to interrupt a date," Joe said.
"Says you," I said, sipping my water. The microwave beeped, and Tansy wheeled back with a squeal of surprise.
I took the taco out and singed my fingers as I unwrapped it clumsily onto a plate. "We're going to lay a trap for the murderer. I'm hoping Tansy will help look for him."
At the sound of her name, she fluttered over to my plate and examined the taco. I offered her a bit of meat on the tip of my finger. She took it curiously, sniffed it several times, then flicked it onto the counter with a look of disgust. As I ate, Joe translated my request.
I could tell immediately Tansy wasn't thrilled with the idea. If possible, her face seemed to become even more pale. After an intense exchange too fast for me to follow, Joe turned to me, and said, "She'll do it, but only if I go with her."
"I was hoping you would anyway."
"Great. The way you keep throwing us together, we'll end up in bed by the end of the movie." He eyed Tansy speculatively. "Maybe I'll give her the ol' twirly-whirl for the hell of it."
"You're so crass."
He scoffed at me. "Yeah, right, like you're one of those Christian saints. I don't knock, remember?"
I laughed. "Actually, I think you've ruined more of my relationships than I have."
"Not that it keeps me busy," he said.
My door buzzer went off. "There's Murdock."
Murdock was in no better mood than when I had left him earlier. He even looked rumpled, which for him meant creases in his shirt and a slightly loosened tie. Tension flowed off Murdock in waves as Stinkwort and Tansy danced around in the backseat. We didn't speak on the ride over. I knew not to press him when he was that wound up. We parked the car in the alley as Tansy continued an incessant chatter. As far as I could tell, she seemed to have an overwhelming need to identify everything she saw. She managed to spot a car, a truck, and a tree several times.
We opened the boarded-up door and walked in. Shay nervously opened the inner door as we approached. He was dressed in a short red tunic with too many reflective beads and had pulled his hair up in a bun on top of his head. He looked like some kind of geisha flapper.
"You're late," Robin said from the other side of the room. He wore a plain green T-shirt with matching shorts, his hair wavy and falling loosely.
"Let's get the wire on," said Murdock. Wordlessly, Robin lifted his shirt. With practiced ease, Murdock taped the wire to his skin, and Robin slipped his shirt back down. Murdock nodded at me, and I removed the small wooden case that held the glamour.
The smooth hazelwood box almost felt like it was vibrating in my hand. I knew the sensation was the protection ward and not the stone. The whole point of the box was to contain and mask the stone. I snapped back the lid and drew out the glamour. It was a small clear crystal no more than an eighth inch round, set in a cheap gold circle and strung on a brown leather cord. As I held it up, it captured the light in the room and gathered it into a small pinpoint. I could feel fairy essence radiating off it as I handed it to Robin.
He gave it a cursory glance, then slipped it over his head. As he flicked his hair out from beneath the cord, Shay let out a small gasp. Robin seemed taller and more languid in the limbs. His lips, prone to a tight line of annoyance, had a more refined haughtiness. His eyes glittered with steely blue highlights and his hair flowed more luxuriantly over his shoulders. The final payoff, though, was the vague shimmer of silver wings that fanned from his back. He looked like a fairy with a mild ward hiding the full spectacle of his wings.
Tansy flew over to him and clasped a flowing tress of hair. "Pretty, pretty," she exclaimed.
Shay reached out and stroked Robin's hair. "You're beautiful," he whispered.
"I don't feel any different," he said.
"You shouldn't," I said.
Murdock looked at me. "Think it'll work?"
I nodded. "His human essence is there if I look for it, but he feels like a fairy. In a crowded bar, it'll work."
"What about when I leave the bar?" said Robin.
Murdock shook his head. "You won't. We just want you to play him, get us a description, then end it. We'll tail him from there."
"What about later? What if he comes after Robin?" asked Shay.
"I don't think he will. Without the glamour stone, he'll probably take no more notice of Robin again than he would me," I said. Shay looked dubious but said nothing.
We went out to Murdock's car. After much rearranging of the backseat, including a trip to a nearby dumpster, Shay and Robin got in the back. We made a slow circle around the block until we came to the Avenue. Sparse traffic filtered through the intersections, and we found a space about a half a block from the Flitterbug with a decent view of the entrance.
Murdock twisted in his seat to face the back. "Now listen, Robin. I want you to keep a running commentary. When you're alone, tell us what you see without drawing attention to yourself. When someone hits on you, I want you to work a description of them into the conversation without arousing suspicion. If someone other than Shay's description makes a play for you, get rid of him as quickly as possible."
"What do you want me to do?" Shay asked.
"Nothing. You stay right here. I want you to listen to the voices. You said you'd never forget his voice."
I could barely contain a smile at the look of shock on his face.
"No way! I'm your prime witness!"
"If you can identify him, he can identify you, and if he sees you first, he's gone before we know it. End of discussion."
Shay crossed his arms and slouched back in the seat. "This isn't even the right outfit for a backseat," he muttered.
Robin climbed out the back and walked toward the bar, with Stinkwort and Tansy fluttering above his head. As he reached the entrance, he hesitated just slightly, enough to make me surmise he was not as cocky as he seemed. "Can you hear me?" Robin said. His voice sounded muffled, but audible. Murdock gave the horn a quick toot, short enough for no one to be able to place the source. Robin nodded once and entered the bar. From the sudden loud music, I could picture him making his way across the dance floor. I hoped he had the brains to move away from the speakers. Even as the thought crossed my mind, the music receded into the background.
"Hey, what's up?" he said.
"I know you?" said someone I assumed was the bartender. I couldn't tell if it was the same one I had spoken to.
"That's Bern. He's an asshole," Shay said from the backseat.
"No. I'll just have some springwater," Robin said.
"I don't make no money on springwater," said Bern.
"Then throw some vodka in it," said Robin.
"I'm not reimbursing him for booze," Murdock said.
"Let's deal with it later," I said. Murdock can be too process-oriented sometimes.
We settled into an uncomfortable silence broken only by the filtered noise of the bar. Every time Shay fidgeted in the backseat, the beads on his tunic made little clicking sounds. Outside on me Avenue, a few cars listlessly circled me block as diough overcome by the humidity. Having a murderer on the loose finally seemed to be having an impact on the night crowd. That and the fact that it was a weeknight.